Mining giant Rio Tinto announced today a new partnership with Norway-based aluminum and energy company Norsk Hydro aimed at exploring carbon capture technologies to reduce carbon output in the aluminum production process.

Together, the partners expect to invest approximately $45 million over the next five years to support this initiative, with most of the work conducted at Rio Tinto’s facilities in Europe and Hydro’s facilities in Norway. Both companies will continue to pursue substantial decarbonization efforts independently, they said in a joint announcement.

Under the new partnership, the companies will collaborate to identify and evaluate available carbon capture technologies for future implementation in the aluminum electrolysis process, including sharing information, results and costs covering specific R&D activities from lab tests with external suppliers to larger, on-site pilot programs, according to the agreement. The aim is to create improved offerings of commercially viable carbon capture technologies from relevant suppliers, they said.

Rio Tinto is one of the world’s biggest producers and processors of iron ore, copper, aluminum and a range of other minerals and materials. The company has committed to reduce its operational Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030, and to achieve net zero by 2050.

Hydro, meanwhile, is one of the biggest producers of aluminum in the world, operating in 40 countries, and has committed to making net-zero aluminum by 2050 or earlier.

Rio Tinto Chief Executive Jakob Stausholm said:

“Rio Tinto is committed to reaching net zero emissions from our operations by 2050, and we know that achieving our climate objectives will require a portfolio of solutions. By working in partnership with Hydro to assess certain carbon capture technologies for aluminum smelters, we are finding better ways to leverage our complementary networks and R&D capabilities to address the climate change challenge.”

For several years, scientists from Rio Tinto and Hydro have been exploring different ways of capturing the carbon emitted during the aluminum production process. In addition, the companies have been working on the development and scaling up of carbon-free aluminum smelting technologies, they said.

Hydro President and CEO Eivind Kallevik said:

“Hydro is accelerating our ambitious roadmap to achieve net-zero aluminum production by 2050 or sooner, advancing solutions across every step of our value chain – from mine to metal. Carbon capture technologies are critical to decarbonizing existing smelters, and our partnership with Rio Tinto will amplify efforts to develop fit-for-purpose solutions that can accelerate the aluminum industry’s transition towards net-zero production.”